Tilting steering-wheel for motor-vehicles.



F. O. PRINDLB.

TILTING STEERING WHEEL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES. APPLIGATION FILED MAY 19,1913.

i 16 14 w" 15 15 [p 1 i I a, (9 I 99 I \I /5' a/ II I /l9a/ F I IPatented May 26, 1914.

P. C. PRINDLE. ,TILTING STEERING WHEEL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1913. v

Patented May 26, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T all whom it may] com-em:

FRANKLIN C. PRINDLE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

TIL' TING STEERING-WHEEL FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

P Be it known that I, FRANKLIN C. PRINDLE,

i a citizen ofthe United 'Sta-tes, residing in the city of \Vashington,District of Columbia, have invented a Tilting Steering-\Vheel forMotor-Vehicles, of which the following is a full and completespecification. In .the construction and arrangement of that particulartype of steering-mechanism for motor-vehicles or automobiles employing asteering wheel, the latter is usually disposed in close proximityto theseat, to be within easy reach ofthe operator for steering the'vehi'cle,but when' so disposed is inthe way of'the operator getting on or off theseat, practically necessitating the employmentfof some means by whichthe steering-wheel'may'be shifted or'tilted out of the way temporarily.I

Inthe present instance I accomplish the tilting of the steering-wheel bymeans of a peculiar form'of hinge-connection and locklng device, and theprimary object of my inventionis t'oprovide an improved hingeconnectionand locking device of simple construction for convement manlpulatlon,and

i also strong and durable 'to'insure a proper operation of thestee ringmechanism when the wheel is in locked ei'igagement with the 0st. p Otherobjects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, andwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letterslatent isspecifically'pointed out in the appended claim. i g

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hcreofFigurej1 isi a sideelevation of the steering-wheel and post of a steering mechanism'formotor-vehicles, part of the wheel being broken away to show the hingeconnection and locking device. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view throughthe hlnge-connection and locking device. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail viewsof one member of the hinge ing movement of the wheel, such anarrangement being common to that type of automobile known as the Ford,to which my Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed May 19, 1913. Serial No. 768,560.

Patented May 26, 1914.

invention is particularly adapted; although of course it may be appliedto any type of steer'ing mechanism permitting atilting movement of thewheel away from the upper end of the post.

In carrying out my invention I provide as one of the elements ahinge-member 9, which is fixedly attached to the "upper end of thesteering-post 10 by the usual head-nut 11, said hinge-member having aprojecting arm 9 for the pivotal connection thereto of thesteering-wheel 12, and a lug 9 at the opposite side thereof from saidarm. In the preferred form of construction, shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of thedrawings, the other part of the hinge is formed by. one of the spokes,13,

of the steering-wheel, and for this purpose said spoke is provided witha boss 14 having an ear 1 1 cooperating with companion ears 9", 9 on thehinge-member 9,to receive a pivotvbolt 15, upon which the wheel may beswung or tilted to a position at one side of the steering-post, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. In, order to securel fasten In thepresent instance the steering-post 10 does not pass through the hub 16of the steering-wheel, but said hub is simply recessed at itsunderside'to form a socket for the reception of the head-nut 11,by-which the hinge-member is secured to the steeringpost, ashereinbefore stated. The socketis preferably beveled at its outer end,as shown in the drawings, (Fig. 2), so as to snugly seat on a boss9formed on the upper side of the hinge-member 9, and prevent play orrattling of the parts. For the same purpose a short boss 14 is formed onthe spoke of the wheel, and the meeting faces of the hinge arm and saidboss fit closely together when the parts of the hinge-connection arelocked together in the manner which I shall now proceed to describe.

Swingingly connected to a boss 13 on the I spoke and hub of the wheel atthe opposite side of said-hub from the spoke having the boss 14, arelinks 17, 17, adapted to embrace the lug 9 on the hinge-member 9,'sothat a cam, 19, pivoted between the lower ends of said linksmay engagein a recess 9 at thev wheel turning on the stud the latter is pro 1 4O atongue, 34, seating in acorresponding remay be operated in the usualmanner for say, the hinge-member 9 and the wheel, may be clamped firmlyand securely together. The cam is provided with a lever 19*, and ispivoted between the ends of the links on a olt 20, the links beingswingingly connected to the boss '13 by a bolt 18.

By'employing the peculiar form of hingeconnection herembefore describedthe wheel I will be securely and firmly connected to the upper end ofthe steering-wheel when the parts are locked together, so that the wheelsteering the vehicle. Now when it is desired to tilt the wheel so thatit will be out of the way of, the operatorgetting on or off the seat itis only necessary to swing the cam out of engagement with the recess atthe underside of the lug 9 and beyond said lug.

In some instances I may provide two simi. lar hinge-members, 21 and 22,as shown iii the modification Figs. 6 and 7 in which the member 21 isprovided with a short arm, 23 opposite the locking lug 24, and thehingemember 22 provided with a similar short. arm, 25, and oppositelocking-lug 26, cooperating with the lug 24, the links, as 27 27, beingin this instance pivoted to the lug 26 and adapted to embrace the lug24, for en-' gagement of thecam 28 with the recess at the underside ofthe last-mentioned lug. In this instance, also, the hinge-member 22 isprovided with a socket, 29, to recei've the head-nut 11 by which themember 21 is secured to the upper end'of the steering-post 10, and withan upwardly-projecting stud 80 to receive'the steering-wheel 31, securedthereon by a cap-nut 32/ To prevent the vided with splines 30, and torelieve the hinge-members 21 and 22 from lateral movement or strain onthe pintle or bolt 33, one of said hinge-members, as 22, is providedwith cess in the other hinge-member, as shown in- Fig. 7. It will benoted that in the modifi cation provision is made for tilting thesteerproduced as a separate article of manufacture.

Having described my invention, I claim In a steering mechanism formotor-vehicles, the combination with the steerin -post, of ahinge-member on the upper end t ereof having a pivot-arm and lockinglugs at opposite sides, the upper edge of the lockinglug beingflush-with the upper outer edge of said hinge-member and saidlocking-lug having plain sides forming bearing surfaces and at itsunderside, a recess, a nutthreaded on the upper end of the post tosecure the hinge member thereon, a hand-wheel pivoted tothe outer end ofthe pivot-arm and having a recess or socket in its hub to receive theaforesaid nut, and a lug on the hand-wheel ot the same widthas thelocking-lug on the hinge-member and adapted to implnge thereagainst;together with links pivoted to the sides of the lug on the hand-wheel toclosely embrace the sides of the companion lug on the hinge-member anddepend below the .same, and a cam pivoted between the ends of the linksto engage the aforesaid recess in the locking-lug, substantially asshown and. described.

Intestimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscr bing witnesses.

FRANKLIN G. PRINDLE.

Inthe presence of I. S. DUVALL, H. S. BEALL.

